UNRATED ROACHFORD UPSETS FIELD TO WIN U-18 CHESS CROWN

Roachford, competing in the Under-18 section for the first time after finishing sixth in the Under-16 category last year, took out Maughn in the first round and topped a small four-man field when the three-day tournament concluded at Harrison College last weekend.

It was a massive win for the Barbados Community College student who had not played competitive chess since representing St Michael School in the Inter-School Secondary Championships last March.

Roachford finished with three-and-a-half out of a maximum five points, half-point more than Deighton Griffith Secondary’s Joshua Burke, who defeated him in the second round.

Maughn, a Queen’s College student who won a bronze medal in the Under-18 sub-category at last year’s CARIFTA Championships in Suriname, had to settle for third place with two-and-a-half points.

The girls were merged with the boys in this section and Kiarra Eversley took the female title, edging out Queen’s College schoolmate Segan Sandiford on the tie-break after both players ended on three points.

The most riveting battle in the Championships unfolded in the boys’ Under-16 division where three Queen’s College students finished level on five out of a maximum six points, leading to a second tie-breaker to decide the outcome.

In the end, Louis Wilson, the brother of Under-10 girls’ champion Hannah Wilson, edged out 2018 CARIFTA representatives Aaron Haynes and Tyson Holder. Wilson was declared the winner by virtue of playing opponents who finished with a higher tally of points combined.

Gaybrianna Moore captured the girls’ Under-16 title in another keenly contested division, leading a clean sweep of the top three positions by Harrison College students.

Moore tallied four-and-a-half out of a maximum five points with Azaria Johnson second on four points and top seed Pritika Kandamaran third on three-and-a-half points.

Following the completion of the National Youth & Cadet Championships, which attracted 87 participants in six age-groups from Under-18 to Under-8, the Barbados Chess Federation’s 2019 calendar is continuing with the National Under-20 Championships which started on Monday and will run until Saturday at the Chess Centre on Exmouth Gap, Brandons. (BCF)

Captions:

Louis Wilson (left) narrowly won the boys’ Under-16 title on a tie-break after finishing level on points with Queen’s College schoolmates Tyson Holder (centre) and Aaron Haynes (right). (BCF Pictures)